by Warren Benedetto

Listen to “From Below” on the Horror Hill podcast

The audio production of my eco-horror story From Below is now available on the Chilling Tales For Dark Nights podcast, Horror Hill.

In the flooded remains of Old Manhattan, the wealthy stay dry and well-fed in their penthouses, while everyone else is left to fend for themselves against the unseen horrors lurking just below the surface.

Content warning (spoilers): cannibalism (implied), gore, suicide

It’s the second story in the episode, starting between 45:00 and 50:00, depending on where you listen.

by Warren Benedetto

“It’s What’s Inside That Counts” now free to read in Fantasy Magazine

My dark fantasy story It’s What’s Inside That Counts is now free to read on the Fantasy Magazine website. It’s about a young girl who dissects a pig in science class, only to discover something unexpected inside.

Content warning: terminal illness of a child

I didn’t know how I’d react to the dissection. I couldn’t imagine poking around in a dead pig’s guts. I wondered how they would feel. Would they be squishy and warm, like spaghetti? Or cold and jiggly, like Jello? My stomach turned at the thought.

I was definitely gonna barf.

by Warren Benedetto

Two more stories accepted by Chilling Tales For Dark Nights

Two more of my horror stories have been accepted for audio adaptation by Chilling Tales For Dark Nights.

  • Molehills is a longer version of my weird horror story The Man Who Ate The Road, originally published in Haven Spec. When a woman tries to return home after visiting her abusive father, she discovers that the road is closed … but just for her.
  • From Below is an eco-horror story originally published in ParSec Magazine. In the flooded remains of Old Manhattan, the wealthy stay dry and well-fed in their penthouses, while everyone else is left to fend for themselves against the unseen horrors lurking just below the surface.
by Warren Benedetto

Confidential podcast acceptance for two stories

Two of my short horror stories—Uncle Pumpkin’s Tongue and Many Deaths Before Dying—have been accepted by one of my favorite horror podcasts (which will remain confidential for now).

  • Uncle Pumpkin’s Tongue is the story of a Halloween carnival ride with a sinister secret. It was recently published in The Ghastling.
  • When a giant, silvery puddle appears in the field where they play, four boys encounter an inexplicable horror that will change them forever. Many Deaths Before Dying will appear next month in Underland Arcana.
by Warren Benedetto

“One Last Step” accepted into Lockdown Horror #5

My sci-fi horror story One Last Step has been accepted into the Lockdown Horror #5 anthology by Black Hare Press. It’s a story about a little girl stalked by an unseen shadow-thing across a post-apocalyptic landscape.

“Will it hurt?” I watched my father roll the sewing needle between his fingers, its tip glowing orange-red in the heat of the flame. My eyes welled with tears.

“Just a little,” he replied.

The flickering candlelight sent eerie shapes dancing around the cluttered attic where we were hiding for the night. Outside, the screeching calls of the shadow-things rose and fell like whale songs made from rusted metal. They sounded close.

by Warren Benedetto

“Everything As It Was” published in Illustrated Worlds Magazine

My historical horror story Everything As It Was has been published in Volume 2 of Illustrated Worlds Magazine. Set in the dust-plagued landscape of 1930s Oklahoma, it’s a story about lost hope, lost faith, and lost children come home.

“I prayed that you’d come home, and the crops would come back, and everything would go back to how it used to be. And now, glory be, here you are.”

by Warren Benedetto

“Matches” published in The Stygian Lepus

My twisted fairytale Matches has been published in Issue Two of The Stygian Lepus. It’s a dark(er) retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s story, The Little Match Girl.

As a frigid wind gusted down the narrow lane, the girl side-stepped into an alley to avoid the chill. She sat down cross-legged on the cobblestone, drawing her feet into her folded knees to try and restore some feeling to her toes. She was freezing, but she dared not go home. Her father would be there, waiting, expectant. How many matches had she sold? How many pennies had she earned? None? The girl winced involuntarily at the crack of her father’s belt. She knew what was in store for her if she returned empty-handed.

by Warren Benedetto

“A Free Man” published by Metastellar

My cyberpunk story A Free Man has been published by MetaStellar. In a world where you can purchase a synthetic replica of a person from a vending machine, the best person to frame for a crime you committed may be yourself.

The days of identity theft being just a stolen credit card or Social Security number were long gone—criminals could steal a person’s actual identity with something as simple as a 3D holoscan of their likeness. Except for a small microdot array at the base of its neck, a synthetic was indistinguishable from an actual human.